Pelusi and P. Robilotto Take Titles at Messiah Open; Five Diplomats Place

Feb 04, 2017

GRANTHAM, Pa. – Competing unmatched, Antonio Pelusi and Philip Robilotto rolled through their brackets at the Messiah Open to earn first-place showings, while a total of five Diplomats placed in the tournament.

P. Robilotto dominated the 197-pound bracket with three tech. falls and a pin. In the first-place match, he made quick work of York's John Shorter en route to a commanding 16-1 tech. fall victory.

Pelusi put together an impressive performance at 285, earning two pins, a tech. fall and a major to secure first place. In the Championship bout, he pinned American's Jake Scanlan in 34 seconds to claim the title.

Aaron rattled off two consecutive pins at 149 to reach the Championship Semifinals where he was forced down to the wrestle backs following a 7-4 loss. He recorded his third pin of the day to reach the third-place match, where he toppled Penn State's Luke Gardner by a 7-6 margin.

Berkowitz earned a 6-1 decision in his first bout to advance to the Championship Semifinals, where he dropped down to consolations after a pin. He followed with two-straight wins, including a pin of his own against UMBC's Tyler Rendina, but moved to the fifth-place match after a 3-0 decision loss. He finished his memorable tournament with an 11-2 major against Messiah's Josh Toal.

Tom Quinlan also competed in the 157-pound bracket, picking up an 11-5 decision in consolations to finish at 1-2 on the day.

R. Robilotto followed an opening-round loss with a pair of pins at 174 and eventually was awarded eighth-place after finishing the tournament with a 2-3 mark.

Chris Martorello (141) opened with a dominant 16-0 tech. fall against Matthew Conte at American before a pair of close decision losses ended his tournament.

The Diplomats return to the mat next Saturday, hosting George Mason at Mayser for senior night at 6:00 p.m.